The King George County School Board approved a motion to ask the Board of Supervisors if they wish to pursue using the former middle school building for county use. The School Board would like to turn...

Six speakers went to the podium in the King George High School auditorium on Nov. 9 to speak against a proposed permit amendment that would allow vertical expansion of the King George County Landfill....

The King George County School Board recognized its 2016 teachers of the year from each school and particularly Tracy Martin, a first grade teacher at Sealston Elementary School, named King George school division Teacher of the Year.

The King George Public School division is participating in a summer food program which enhances the existing Summer Lunch Bunch program and greatly expands the provision of free meals for children while school is out of session.

The King George School Board took up the topic of what to do with the former middle school and 35 acres at a special meeting last week. Four of the five members were present at the special meeting on March 14 to discuss its upcoming annual capital projects budget submission to the county.

The King George School Board will give the public a chance to weigh in on a $42 million operating budget proposal under consideration for fkiscal 2016-17. That amount would compare to the division’s current year operating budget of $38.6 million.A public hearing will take place 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, in the Revercomb board room. It will be followed by a regular business meeting at 6 p.m.

The King George School Board elected T.C. Collins, representing the James Monroe district, chairman during its Jan. 4 meeting. Collins served as vice chairman last year. The school board also set its meeting schedule.

King George School Board Chairman John Davis was named “School Board Member of the Year” for the Eastern Region. The recognition took place Nov. 18 during the opening session of the Virginia School Boards Association’s annual convention in Williamsburg.

Voters in King George’s Dahlgren District will have a choice on the ballot for school board in the Nov. 3 election, with John C. Davis and Gayle W. Hock squaring off for the position. The King George School Board is a five-member board with staggered terms of four years for each member, with single candidates running unopposed for the At-Large and James Madison districts. Brief profiles of the two Dahlgren District School Board candidates follow:

John C. DavisDavis, who will turni 57 by Election Day, is currently chairman of the school board. He is completing a four-year term in the At-Large position. He previously served an additional eight years, 2000-2007, serving as both chairman and vice chairman several times.He has served as a PTA leader at the local, district and state level and was a trustee of Salem Baptist Church and local volunteer coach. “I will continue to put the students’ interest first in every decision,” Davis said. “I believe in being the voice for all students, emphasizing data-driven decision-making and improving course offerings and vocational preparation to expand post-secondary options for both college and workforce-bound students.”Davis has been instrumental in board action to improve teacher salaries by adjusting the teacher salary scale to make it more competitive. “I will continue to improve teacher salaries and provide them with the tools and professional development they need to provide a quality education for our students,” Davis said. “I will continue to provide a transparent board through the media and an open relationship with King George Citizens.”In his school board capacity, he served 12 years as state delegate to the Virginia State School Board Association, receiving a nomination as regional school board member of the year. He also served on various division advisory committees, including Code of Conduct, Special Education, Commonwealth Governors School, Career and Technical Education, and Safe and Drug Free Schools. Service on other division committees include those for character education, teacher of the year, finance and high school architecture, as well as on the county Ralph Bunch advisory committee.Davis has lived in King George since 1974, graduating from King George High School in 1977. He is employed at Exit Professional Real Estate and is President of David Corporation.

Gayle W. HockHock, 68, has lived in King George since 1970. She retired in June from the King George school division, where she served for 12 years as a school social worker and supervisor of counseling and social work service. In addition to social work, her duties included truancy, court liaison, foster care liaison, crisis team manager, supervisor of home-school students, and was the school rep to the county Social Services department.“One of my proudest accomplishments was to secure the grant to purchase automated external defibrillators for the elementary school settings, the pre-school and the school board office. Other grants were received to provide for curriculum in drug and violence prevention and other safety programs,” Hock said.While with the division, Hock chaired numerous committees, including Safe and Drug Free Schools, Character Education, Health and Safe Schools, and the Code of Conduct Workgroups. She has also volunteered with Hospice Care in King George and Fredericksburg. She earned a Bachelor’s in psychology in 1969 from Agnes Scott College and also attended graduate school there in psychology 1970. She obtained a Master’s degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1979 and a post-graduate certificate in college admissions counseling in 2013 from UCLA. She has experience working with children and families. Prior to her division employment, she was a social worker for various agencies, including King George Social Services, 1971-75, and Fredericksburg Social Services, 1975-79. She worked for Family Service Association at Fort Belvoir and DeWitt Army Hospital during graduate school, Early Learning Center Pre-school at Oakland Baptist Church, 1985-89, and Mary Washington Hospital Home Health, 1989-93. “My goal is to provide children with a love of learning and skills to provide for a productive future,” Hock said. “We must recognize employees’ efforts in educating our students.”She added, “The School Board must work openly with all to provide: safe schools with a bully-free environment; short- and long-term facilities’ plans as capital improvement requests; increased diversity and skills among staff; excellent professional development opportunities and a strong compensation plan; increased vocational/career skills to prepare students for the future; services to identify and support students who are at risk for barriers to learning; and, effective discipline plans for students.”

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